Documentary filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s biopic is based on the life of the legendary comic book writer/hero, Harvey Pekar, whose underground publication, ‘American Splendor,’ skyrocketed him to fame in the ‘70s and ‘80s. His writing, drawn heavily from his own working-class experiences and peopled by his friends and colleagues, fast became a cult classic, landing him critics’ accolades and several belligerent appearances on the David Letterman Show. Pekar, the ‘average Joe’ or everyman, with his outspoken ways and crusty, disgruntled behaviour seemed to embody the often lonely and dreary existence of urban America and captured the imagination of an entire generation. The comics, which formed a virtual diary of Pekar’s life, not only brought him fame but also immortalized friends like Toby Radloff (Judah Friedlander) and third wife Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis.)

In the film version of Pekar’s life, Bergman and Pulcini mix several genres – comic book, documentary, feature film – to trace Pekar’s development from unknown filing clerk to successful writer. Although the film opens with a flashback to Pekar’s childhood, we meet him as an adult at the point where he temporarily loses his voice and discovers that his second wife is leaving him. Just when he thinks his life is over, Pekar’s friend, the now-famous cartoonist Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak), inspires him to try his hand at comic book writing. The rest, as they say, is history. Not only does ‘American Splendor’ bring him fame, it also brings him Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis), a lonely fan who visits him in Cleveland and eventually becomes his wife and creative partner.

The story, however, takes a tragic turn when Pekar is diagnosed with cancer, which inspires the ‘Our Cancer Year’ edition of ‘American Splendor’ written by his wife. It also gives rise to moments of existential questioning as the ailing Pekar wonders if he even exists outside his comic books. Still, the film, like the comics on which it is based, manages to retain its sardonic humour. This is largely achieved through the characters themselves, who are all eccentrics in their own right, from the cantankerous Pekar and his hypochondriac wife to Toby Radloff, who glories in his own ‘nerdness’. The film contains character acting at its best, with Giamatti capturing the real Pekar’s facial expressions to perfection, and Friedlander doing an admirable job of mimicking the real Radloff.

Berman and Pulcini’s ‘American Splendor’ was nominated for over half a dozen awards and won the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Festival. One of the reasons for its critical acclaim is the way the story is told. New sections of Pekar’s life begin like comic book frames and are interspersed with interviews of the real people behind the story, particularly voice-overs of writer/director Berman asking Pekar questions. Like the comic book, the film blurs the traditional boundary between fiction and reality.

‘American Splendor’ has recently been released on DVD. Special features include a full audio commentary on the film as well as a section called ‘The Road to Splendor’ which takes a humorous look at the Pekars as they reluctantly bask in their new-found celebrity status at various international film festivals.

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Shahbano Bilgrami is a freelance writer and copy editor who lives in Morgantown, West Virginia. Aside from being a regular book and film reviewer, she has had poetry published in An Anthology (OUP 1997) and has authored/contributed to several children’s textbooks during her eight-year period as editor at Oxford University Press, Pakistan. She is currently working on her first novel.

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© 2004 Laura Hird All rights reserved.